1. Field of the Invention
Various embodiments concern the field of bolt locks for shipping containers. More particularly, various embodiments are directed to intelligent bolt locks which, if tampered with, can report the day and time that they have been tampered with.
2. Related Art
Bolt locks are frequently placed on shipping containers to prevent access to the container's contents by unauthorized parties. A bolt lock can be locked, but it cannot be unlocked—that is to say, when the container finally reaches its intended destination, the bolt has to be split open with bolt cutters in order to access the contents of the container. In this sense, a bolt lock is a one-time use device.
Typically, bolt locks include a metal bolt which is inserted through the hasps of cargo container doors. One end of the bolt includes a head which is substantially large enough to prevent the bolt from sliding out of the hasps in one direction. The other end of the bolt is designed to be inserted into a receiving member. Once the bolt is inserted into the receiving member (which is large enough to prevent the bolt from being slid of the hasps in the other direction), the bolt is then locked into place.
On many occasions, a thief armed with bolt cutters will intercept the shipping container, cut the bolt, and steal the items stored within it. Sometimes, the thief will remove the broken bolt and replace it with a new bolt to make it seem as if no tampering had occurred. A discrepancy between what items were shipped and what items actually arrived will later be discovered in the manifest when the container arrives at its intended destination and its contents are inspected.
In these situations, disputes frequently arise regarding which party or parties are legally responsible for covering the cost of the missing items (e.g., the seller, shipper, purchaser, and/or various insurers). In many instances, the legally responsible party will be predicated upon which party had possession of the container when the theft actually occurred. For example, if the theft occurred after the container was locked, but before the container was provided to the shipper, the missing items are typically the seller's responsibility. If the theft occurred during transit, the missing items can be the shipper's responsibility or its insurer (unless explicitly disclaimed in the contract). If the theft occurred after the shipper delivered the container to the purchaser's storage facility, the missing items are no longer the seller or shipper's responsibility, but rather, it is the purchaser's loss.
However, since the shipping container is usually opened at the end of the delivery chain (i.e., when it finally is in the hands of the purchaser), the theft may have occurred at any time prior to that. By that time, the container has already traveled through multiple locations and has been handled by multiple parties. Usually, visual inspection of the container and/or lock provides no clear evidence as to when or where the theft occurred. With no real way of determining when or where the theft occurred, parties (or their insurers) often find themselves in messy legal disputes, especially if the price of the stolen merchandise is high.